Simply Ron
by Greenstuff
Summary: ONE SHOT A short fic about Ronald Weasley's search for love.


A/N: This is silly and unedited. Silly because it was written immediately following an important English exam and unedited because well. I'm just too lazy to edit today. I hope you enjoy it. *smiles* And if grammatical errors drive you nuts you might want to steer clear of this one.  
  
Ron Weasley was always a simple soul. And he all wanted what simple men always want. He wanted love. But not just any love. Ron Weasley wanted True Love.  
  
When he was a young lad, probably no more that six years of age, Ron decided that he wanted love and would settle for nothing less than the fairytale.  
  
The quest began as a simple one. Ron decided he should ask the smartest person he knew how he could find his true love. Father knew everything about the important stuff, like Muggles and Quidditch, but for something this important he would have to go to the one in the family who knew everything: Mother. So on an early October morning Molly Weasley found herself being escorted from the kitchen to a quiet place in the lawn by a serious five-year-old Ron.  
  
Worried about her usually sunny son's dour disposition Molly knelt in the grass beside him, peered into his troubled face and asked: "What is it dear?"  
  
Ron's seriousness, if it were possible, increased as he scuffed his toe in the dirt and answered, "How do I find my True Love?"  
  
Now Molly Weasley was a very sensible parent, and sensible parents know not to laugh at such questions, so she answered in the only sensible way possible. "If you are a very good boy she will come to you when you least expect, very much like a surprise party or present. One day she will simply be there and then everything will work as it should."  
  
Ron had nodded thoughtfully, his expression one of deep concentration quickly dissolved to confusion as he tugged on his mothers robe and said, "But Mother, what can I DO?"  
  
Molly smiled at her son fondly, "You could work very hard so that when she comes you have the world to offer her, but you cannot hurry love. You must be very, very patient." Patting him on the head molly returned to her chores, leaving her young son to ponder what she had meant.  
  
Years passed and Ron slowly forgot about the conversation with his mother. He anxiously awaited his acceptance letter for Hogwarts, watching jealously as his brothers left each fall. He played with Ginny in the garden, he practiced Quidditch in the orchard and he helped out around the house, but he did not spend time thinking about True Love or working hard so he would be ready for it if it came. His Hogwarts letter arrived and there was a flurry of activity in order to buy all of his supplies. Almost everything he owned was second hand, but there was nothing he could do about it. Mum and Dad were worried enough about costs without adding his petty cares to their burden.  
  
The first day of school arrived and Ron dressed in his newest robes - hand downs from Fred. Looking at himself in the mirror he wondered if he would make any new friends at Hogwarts. It was then when he remembered that long ago conversation with his mother and he sighed. There was no chance of his meeting her if he were to be dressed like this the entire time. After all, he wouldn't very well be falling in love with an ugly girl and pretty girls cared about things like clothes and money.  
  
It was with a heavy heart that Ron boarded the train that first year. His pockets were filled with Molly's sandwiches and he gingerly held onto a squirming Scabbers with both hands. He hugged his parents and Ginny goodbye and followed George and Fred onto the train. He never gave a second thought to the boy they had helped through the wall until he couldn't find an empty place to sit and ended up in the same compartment. He had been to embarrassed about his own poverty to take a proper look at the boy when they had first met, but when he opened the compartment door the second thing he noticed -immediately after the empty seats- was that the boy was dressed just as badly as he was. True the clothes weren't home-knit hand-me- downs like Ron's, but they were several sizes too big and obviously pre- worn. Ron Smiled tentatively and asked if he could sit. The black haired boy said he could.  
  
The train ride was one of the most exciting experiences in Ron's young life. Harry - for the boy was, much to Ron's astonishment, the famous Harry Potter - was generous and kind. Ron was sure he had found a friend for life. There were a few moments where Ron wished desperately he could hide beneath his seat in shame. Once when the Trolley woman had come by and he had been completely unable to buy any sweets, Harry's generosity had saved the day on that occasion when he had bought a load of sweets and insisted on sharing them with Ron even eating one of Molly Weasley's sandwiches. The second instance had occurred when a bucktoothed, bushy haired girl had burst her way into their compartment and, on her way out, pointed out the fact that he still had dirt on his nose; dirt which he assumed had been there the entire time. The third and final time was when he had attempted to show Harry a charm that Fred had taught him that was supposed to turn Scabbers yellow. The charm had worked the one time he had tried it, but now, when it mattered most, Scabbers' fur remained stubbornly brown.  
  
Hogwarts was everything that Ron had ever dreamed. The castle was beautiful and terrifying. With Harry at his side he followed Hagrid to the little boats. Ron was terrified of boats, but he was sure not to let that show as they crossed the lake to the school. HE practically died of embarrassment when Malfoy Jr. singled him out of the crowd and tried to take away the first real friend he had ever had. By the time the sorting ceremony began Ron was too emotionally exhausted from the day he had had to even be nervous. The hat touched his hair briefly before sending him off to the same house the rest of his family, from great grandparents down, had been in: Gryffindor. A tense few minutes passed when Harry was being sorted; fortunately he was also in Gryffindor.  
  
The school year brought many new experiences for Ron, each surpassing the last to become the most exciting of his life, until he was convinced he lead a rather exciting life after all. The bushy-haired girl from the train became a friend, and a useful one at that. Her name was Hermione and he was more than a little attached to her. They argued a lot, but it didn't ever last longer than an hour. The three of them - Harry, Ron and Hermione - were inseparable until summer forced them to go their separate ways for a few months.  
  
Over the summer Ron thought a lot about his new friends. His sister constantly hounded him for stories and he obliged more than a little willingly. With each retelling the story became more elaborate, the troll was taller, Hermione prettier, the Chess Game more dangerous and Harry was the ultimate hero. The constant re-telling and reliving was enough to form two very strong infatuations in the Weasley household, though no one knew of the second - Ron was much better at hiding things than Ginny. In fact Ron had quite convinced himself that he was in love with Hermione. He recalled that conversation he had had seven years ago in the garden with his mum and was certain that Hermione would be his True Love.  
  
She was everything he needed, she was sweet; a little bossy, but that could be worked on; she wasn't exactly pretty, but that too could change with time; and she was incredibly smart. He wondered briefly what he was supposed to do with this information, but then he remembered what his mum had so wisely told him and knew he would have to wait for the timing to be right.  
  
The school years passed without a single opportunity presenting itself. Ron never really dated, except for the one time in fourth year. He simply sat and waited for the timing to be right for him and Hermione. He almost gave it all away when Viktor Krum showed an interest, but afterwards congratulated himself on keeping his cool. Graduation came and went and He and Harry entered Auror's training. Hermione took a job at Hogwarts as an apprentice; she wanted to teach History of Magic or possibly DADA.  
  
Time continued on. For Ron's 20th birthday the trio met for dinner. Their time together had become less and less frequent. All three were busy with their jobs and no one seemed to have time for a get together. Ron was nervous about the evening. He had never forgotten that he was supposed to be in love with Hermione and wanted to make a good impression. He dressed to the nines and brought a single red rose for her to enjoy, only to throw it away at the last minute because he realized it would be highly suspicious.  
  
The three friends met at a restaurant in Muggle London and spent hours getting caught up on life in general. Harry was still getting offers from pro Quidditch teams and Hermione shared all the Hogwarts gossip. Dinner was pleasant, but dessert was a different story, at least as far as Ron was concerned. They were eating decadent chocolate creations and sipping cups of coffee when Hermione made her announcement.  
  
"I'm engaged."  
  
Ron choked on his coffee.  
  
Harry's mouth dropped open in shock for a moment and then he smiled. "Congratulations! What a surprise! I didn't even know you were seeing anyone."  
  
Ron continued to cough.  
  
"Yes well." Hermione cast a glance and Ron, "I wasn't sure how to tell you. It just happened last night, and I didn't want to take away from Ron's night."  
  
Ron had managed to clear his lungs of coffee, but remained unable to speak.  
  
"Who's the lucky bloke?" Harry asked, sending an annoyed glance at his red haired friend.  
  
Hermione blushed and a grin spread over her features, "Severus Snape."  
  
Ron's coughing started once again of its own violation. SNAPE?!?! That.. That. overgrown sadistic bat! How DARE he? Ron was fuming inside. How could this have happened? He loved Hermione and she was just throwing it back in his face. He stood and pushed his chair away form the table; turning on one heel he stormed out of the restaurant and into the street. He heard Hermione call out to him as he disappeared around the first corner he came to, apparently she had followed him out of the restaurant.  
  
Ron stormed the streets of London for hours until his feet hurt and he was thoroughly lost, then, summoning the Knight Bus, he returned to his flat.  
  
It took a few months for Ron to recover from Hermione's announcement. He went through the usual stages of grief, if that was what he was feeling, and then he moved on. For the first time in his life Ron Weasley was on the prowl. He was determined to forget his foolish infatuation and find the real love that he knew was out there. And if he happened to sleep with a few dozen others along the way, then so be it. After all True Love was worth waiting for, or so they said. 


End file.
